CyprusDriving

Drivers are set to face steeper and more targeted fines in October, as parliament is set to vote next week on seven bills to introduce the changes.

The simple take-away is that fines are set to increase across the board. In most cases, the fines have been doubled with provisions for even steeper penalties for repeat offences within certain period of time.

The bills are set to pass next week but the new measures will not come into effect until October.

During the intervening two months, authorities will carry out a large-scale information campaign to inform the public of the new measures.

As one MP told the Cyprus Mail: “It’s complex set of changes that will occur and people will have to familiarise themselves with the new measures.”

It appears that there was some haggling over how steep to the fines should be.

It is understood that the justice ministry had lobbied for heftier fines, such as a penalty of €300 for using the phone while driving. The transport committee, however, proposed a fine of €150 which could reach €300 for a repeat offence.

The reasoning behind this, a member of the transport committee told the Cyprus Mail, is that “the fines should be high enough to act as a deterrent but not overly strict so as to bankrupt someone.”

The transport committee and justice ministry also hope to cover some loopholes. Currently, as the MP told the Cyprus Mail, it is cheaper to pay the fine for driving without a licence than it is to buy the licence itself.

The exact details of the new measures are set to be made available shortly as the information campaign begins.

Source: Drivers set to face steeper and more targeted fines  – Cyprus Mail

Cyprus is near the bottom of European countries when it comes to the number of road fatalities per million inhabitants, according to figures released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA).

While Sweden has the safest roads, with 25 road deaths per million people, the UK is second with 28 and Cyprus is ranked at number 20 with 62.

Road fatalities are at their highest in eastern Europe. Romania has the worst record, with 99 fatalities per million inhabitants. Bulgaria comes close with 96. Next on the list are Croatia, Poland and Latvia.

The EU average is 49 fatalities per million.

According to the ACEA, road traffic deaths have been falling in the EU for the past two decades. In 2001, there were 54,900 fatalities. By 2017 this had fallen to 25,300.

However, more needs to be done, EU Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska, responsible for internal market and industry, said.

“We can and must act to change this. With the new advanced safety features that will become mandatory, we can have the same kind of impact as when safety belts were first introduced,” she commented.

Source: Cyprus has among least safe roads in Europe – Cyprus Mail

In a bid to alleviate traffic during the summer, police on Friday banned articulated lorries from using motorways and other networks between certain times the next three Sundays of the month.

According to a statement, on July 12, 19, and 26, between 9am and 1pm and 4pm and 8pm, articulated lorries would be banned from using motorways as well as the Nicosia -Troodos, Limassol-Platres-Troodos, and Paphos-Polis roads.

Recently, because of the large number of cars on the network and two crashes, thousands of motorists were stuck on the highway for hours.

In addition, police would be stepping up its patrols during the weekend and carry out checks with special emphasis on offences considered the main causes of fatal accidents.

On Sundays, police will also issue frequent announcements regarding the state of the roads.

Source: Articulated lorries to be banned from the roads on Sundays – Cyprus Mail

Paphos police on Sunday appealed to motorbike users to wear helmets for their own safety.

Speaking after the death of a motorcyclist in Paphos early on Sunday morning, CID Paphos spokesman Michalis Ioannou said “we are making for one more time an appeal to motorcyclists to wear a helmet”.

Shortly before 5am on Sunday Evagoras Demetriou, 24, from Ayia Marina was driving home after a night out on the main road from Polis to his village when he lost control of the bike, which overturned leaving him on the pavement.

He was taken to Paphos general hospital where doctors confirmed his death.

Source: Police urge motorcyclists to wear helmets – Cyprus Mail

Police arrested a 30-year-old man after he fled Bases police and attempted to evade state authorities in Limassol first thing on Saturday morning.

According to police, the 30-year-old, who had two passengers (18 and 16) in his car, failed to stop when signalled to do so by bases authorities. Instead, police said, he accelerated and intentionally hit a bases police car with two officers inside.

He then accelerated again and fled the scene, while police chased his vehicle and called for aid from the Republic of Cyprus authorities.

Upon entering the Republic of Cyprus areas in the Ypsonas area, police attempted to stop his vehicle again.

The 30-year-old refused and attempting to flee, he drove onto the opposite side of the road, where eventually he cashed into a 22-year-old’s car and one more police vehicle with two officers inside. He then hit into the same bases’ police car that was chasing him, a little further down the road, police said.

After hitting the vehicles, the 30-year-old’s car climbed onto the pavement, and then hit a tree, where it stopped.

All the drivers, the 22-year-old, the 30-year-old and his two passengers, and four officers in the police cars were injured and were taken to hospital.

Doctors determined the drivers were all lightly injured in the crashes, with the most serious injury being that of the 30-year-old, who fractured his hand.

All were discharged after receiving first aid, and the 30-year-old was arrested for a variety of traffic violations.

He refused to take an alcotest and narcotest.

Source: Driver arrested after refusing to stop, ramming police car – Cyprus Mail

More than 680 people were booked for traffic violations on Saturday during a police operation in all towns to crack down road offences.

According to the police of over 680 offences, 374 referred to speeding and 28 drunk driving.

One car was confiscated as were six motorbikes, a quad bike and a moped.

Source: 680 booked for traffic offences – Cyprus Mail

Cyprus ranks 18th in the EU in road deaths, according to the 14th annual Road Safety Performance Report published on Wednesday by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC).

In 2019 there was an increase of 6.1 per cent in road deaths in Cyprus. There were 52 road deaths were recorded, three more than in 2018.

With last year’s increase, Cyprus has fallen one notch, from 17th to 18th place in the EU in deaths per capita.

A 3 per cent decrease was recorded overall in the EU in 2019.

Out of 32 countries monitored by the programme, 16 registered a decrease in road deaths in 2019 compared to 2018.

Luxembourg leads the ranking with a 39 per cent reduction in the number of road deaths between 2018 and 2019.15 It is followed by Sweden with a 32 per cent decrease, Estonia with 22 per cent and Switzerland with 20 per cent.

The number of road deaths increased in 12 countries, while progress stagnated in four. The largest increases were registered in Israel with 17 per cent, Denmark with 14 per cent, Slovenia with 12 per cent, Slovakia with 7 per cent and Lithuania and Cyprus with 6 per cent.

However, the report said annual numbers of deaths in Luxembourg and Malta are particularly small and are, therefore, subject to substantial annual fluctuation. Annual numbers of deaths in Cyprus and Estonia are also relatively small and, therefore, may be subject to considerable annual fluctuation.

This may explain why, though deaths in Cyprus increased, the number of seriously injured in road accidents in the country decreased.

The number of people recorded as seriously injured, based on national definitions, decreased in 18 out of 23 EU member states that collect data. However, in the EU23 collectively the progress in reducing serious road traffic injures remains insignificant since 2010.

Serious injuries recorded in Germany and the Netherlands increased and this has had a significant effect on the EU average as recorded serious injuries in these countries represent 48 per cent of all recorded serious injury data in the EU25.

The number of serious injuries increased by 45 per cent in Malta, by 13 per cent in the Netherlands, 11 per cent the UK and 9 per cent in Germany since 2010. At the other end of the ranking is Greece – it achieved the biggest decrease in the number of recorded serious injuries since 2010 with a 63 per cent reduction, followed by Cyprus with 42 per cent and Belgium with 35 per cent.

“It is now considered impossible to achieve the goal of reducing road deaths by 50 per cent from 2010 to 2020, as a reduction of 34.5 per cent is required this year, compared to 2019,” the report concluded.

“A reduction in road deaths is expected this year, of course, due to the restrictive measures taken to deal with the pandemic of Covid-19, but it is considered unlikely to be so great that it will achieve the goal. But even if that happens, it cannot be considered an achievement.”

 

Source: Road deaths up 6.1% in Cyprus – Cyprus Mail

Police on Monday caught a 15-year-old boy driving an articulated lorry on the motorway with the registered owner of the vehicle sitting in the passenger seat.

Officers of the traffic accident prevention unit stopped the truck at around 9.40am on the Limassol to Nicosia motorway near the exit to Kotsiatis and found a 15-year-old behind the wheel.

The minor had no licence nor insurance.

During checks, the officers determined that the registered owner of the truck was sitting in the passenger seat.

A trailer towed by the truck had no road worthiness certificate after it expired in 2013. The vehicle’s licence had also expired in December last year.

The pair were taken to the police station where they were charged to be summoned at a later date.

Source: Teenager caught driving articulated lorry – Cyprus Mail

The government’s “zero-tolerance” policy on reckless driving has led to widespread confusion over the new measures, particularly in regards to driving under the influence of drugs.

A 33-year-old man who was caught speeding and tested positive for drug use had his licence revoked on Tuesday. Lab results later showed he tested positive for cocaine use.

But wider questions have been asked about accuracy and equal treatment under the new policy.

Many drivers are unclear as to exactly which road violations qualify for a person to have their licence revoked.

To make matters even more confusing, there are two separate categories of losing a licence.

The first is a temporary suspension while their case is examined and the second is an outright revocation of the licence after their case has been studied.

The offender has 14 days to file a complaint.

A common question from the public has been whether testing positive for any drug whatsoever, and any amount will lead to them losing their licence.

“Yes, driving under the influence of drugs and testing positive will lead to at least a suspension of the licence until detailed lab results arrive,” Police Spokesman Christos Andreou replied when asked to clarify on this issue.

The grey area is that a person may have smoked cannabis the night before and still test positive for a narcotest in the morning, hours after consuming the drug.

In this sense, a person who smoked a joint of cannabis and a person who had a heavy night of cocaine use would both be put into the same category – testing positive for drug use.

Asked on this issue, Andreou said that “an initial test cannot tell when a person used the drugs or what drugs exactly, only that they are positive in the test and are under the influence – whether or not they did it the night before.”

He clarified that more detailed lab results which specify the type of drug used may impact the severity of the case against them.

The police have the right to temporarily suspend a person’s licence while they consider a full revocation.

“The least that will happen is a temporary suspension of their driving licence,” Andreou said. “If they are under the influence and are caught speeding or any other violations, then of course the case against is much more serious.”

Some have expressed frustration at an apparent unfairness in the process. A driver may lose their licence for light marijuana use, while a driver three times over the alcohol limit will be fined and may only receive a warning.

Drink driving remains common in Cyprus – in part – due to fairly lax laws, relative cultural acceptance and poor public transportation.

In the UK drivers are subject to harsh penalties for drink driving violations, such as a driving ban for at least one year (3 years if convicted twice in 10 years).

 

Source: Confusion over drug-testing policies on drivers – Cyprus Mail

Drivers found to be driving under the influence of drugs, are found to be way over the alcohol limit or exceed by far the speed limit will have their licence taken away immediately, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos said on Friday.

He was speaking after a meeting of the road safety council, which he presided over in the presence of Justice Minister Giorgos Savvides.

The transport minister said the measure would be implemented as of Friday. Police said they would discuss the practical implementation of this proposal on Monday.

A police source told the Cyprus Mail that for alcotests, instructions will be given for licences to be revoked immediately in cases where the reading is 120μg and over, while those found with over 70μg when breathalysed will be subject to this measure if they are caught for the same offence again. As regards speeding, the source said whether a licence will be revoked will be assessed for each case.

Karousos, citing the “very worrying data” presented during the meeting on driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs and speeding, said that the council has decided to make use of the powers of the road transport department.

“When it is confirmed they are driving dangerously, their licences will be suspended immediately until their cases are investigated,” Karousos said.

He added that the road transport department has the power to suspend drivers’ licences.

The minister gave as an example the case of the professional driver caught driving with his feet last November.

“His license was cancelled and he was asked to take exams again to be able to obtain a professional driver’s licence,” Karousos said.

The 43-year-old man was called in for questioning by the police last November after posting a video on Facebook of himself driving his truck using only his feet, on the Nicosia-Limassol motorway. He faces two charges relating to engaging in a senseless, dangerous and reckless act and driving without insurance. He is due in court next week.

Karousos said the road transport department, after being informed by the police, will immediately revoke the licence of those found driving recklessly through speeding or driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

He explained that if a driver’s narcotest is found positive then his licence will be immediately revoked until his case is referred to a medical council which would look into whether he or she is a regular drugs user or not.

“If someone is found to speed excessively, they will be deemed as dangerous and the road transport department has the power to revoke their licence and it will do so,” the minister said, adding that they will exhibit “zero tolerance”.

Justice Minister Savvides said that this year started tragically since by the end of January five people had died in road accidents, most of them young persons.

He said that seven bills and a regulation on harsher penalties for traffic offences are currently being discussed at the House transport committee and expressed hope they would be tabled to the plenary to vote within February.

Source: Minister says licences will be immediately revoked for speeders, drunk drivers – Cyprus Mail